Button-fastener.



G. J. ANDERSON.

BUTTON FASTENER.

APPLICATION FILED-NOV. 20, 1909.

Patented May 14, 1912 l/V/r/vzssa 5 //VI/E/V 727/? W LAUS JA/mmw/v f 5V ms ATTUHWA'VS" WALLWA W UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLAUS J. ANDERSON, 0F NEWBURYPORT', MASSACHUSETTS.

IBUTTON-FASTENER.

To all 107mm it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Guns J. ANDERSON, a citizen of Sweden, residing at Newburyport, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Button-Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in fasteners for shoe but-tons and the like.

The object of the invention is to provide a fastening by which a button can be securely attached to the leather of a shoe or to other material, and at the same time may be easily detached without injury to itself, the leather, or the fastening.

These objects are accomplished by the apparatus illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 shows an embodiment of the invention in cross sect-ion; Fig. 2 shows certain of the parts in a preliminary stage of assembling; Fig. 3 shows a modified form of the invention.

Referring to the drawings 10 represents a button fastened upon the leather 11 of a shoe, or any other material. The fastening comprises a member having a hook 12 and a shank 13, set in and projecting from a disk l4, upon which a screw cap 15 is adapted to fit.

The hook member, asilh'lstrated, is cheaply and effectively formed of a strip of brass or other suitable sheet metal, narrow enough to pass through a central hole in the axis of disk 14, the strip being folded and bent as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. As represented in those figures, this strip is doubled upon itself at the place marked 18 which comprises the point of the hook, and the portion which forms the hook is therefore of double thickness. To form the shank 13 this doubled portion is doubled upon itself at 20, so that its shank is four-ply. The two ends of the strip are marked 16 and 17 respectively. The disk 14 has a central boss 19 adapted to project through the leather and has a hole in the middle of this in which the shank 13 is set. After being stuck into this hole, the end 20 is bent at right angles, as seen clearly in the drawings, so that it forms a lug engaging the remote side of the disk 14. Preferably a hole or depression is provided for it, into which it may fit, so that the exterior is flush, and so that the shank is prevented from rotating. This anchor the hook securely against p s Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 20, 1909.

Patented May 14, 1912. Serial No. 529,077.

transmitted by the button 10; and the parts may be more firmly fixed in the position described by brazing or soldering together. One result of the redoubling which occurs at the point 20 is that the two ends 17, 16, are directed backward to the other side of the disk. One of these two ends, 17, is bent over the end of the boss 19, so that as a result the hook member 12 engages both sides of the disk 14, one side at 20 and one at 17 and is thus anchored therein by physical engagement therewith against displacement in either direction; strong enough, so that it cannot be pulled out by the button, and so that it will not be pushed through the disk, by any ordinary strains. The other end 16 of the strip forms a tongue overlapping the entrance to the hook and is preferably elastic or springy by nature. The cap 15 has a central hole 21 by which it is capable of screwing upon the boss 19; so that these two members 14 and 15 form a screw clamp adapted to clamp the leather 11 firmly be tween them. The hook 12 is small enough in total breadth so that it can pass through the hole 21 in cap 15. The tongue 16 passes through with it.

The parts are assembled by first putting the hook in place in the disk 14 as above described; and then putting this disk on the leather to which the button is to be fastened, with its boss 19 projecting through the leather. The cap 15 is then screwed on the boss; and may be screwed tight clamping the leather between itself and the disk 14. This leaves the book 12 projecting as seen in Fig. 1. The loop 22 of a shoe button may then be inserted in the hook, passing between the tongue 16 and the hook in entering, the tongue 16 being sprung outward for this purpose. Under many circumstances, the button will stay in place and will not find its way out through the place in which it entered. If desired, however, the button may be locked securely in place by screwing the cap 15 outward a turn or two, enough so that its proximity to the point 16 prevents that point from being sprung outward enough to let out the button. Doing this relieves the screw clamp by which the leather has been held; and auxiliary fastening means are therefore provided for use in cases where this cap is to be screwed out. Such means are shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and consist of clenching pins 28. These are dri en through holes 23 in the disk 14,

through the leather, and are clenched at 24: upon the button side of the leather. The clenching may be accomplished by driving them when the cap 15 is screwed tight, after which the cap 15 may be unscrewed as desired to aid in holding the tongue 16 close over the entrance to the hook 12. For this purpose the outer part of the hole 21 is made of such diameter that when screwed outward, it comes so close to the hook 18 that there is not room for the button loop to escape between that hook and the part 15. If force be applied to push the loop out in that manner, the tongue 16 will be pushed against the inside of cap 15 and will be supported thereby, so that the relative weakness of the tongue 16 is supplemented by the strength of the cap 15 whenever its strength is required to resist escape of the button.

A modified form of the invention is shown in Fig. 3, in which a base disk 14 and a cap 15 are shown as in the other figures, between which the leather may be clamped; but an auxiliary cap or sleeve 15 is provided, screw-threaded into cap 15. By screwing this sleeve 15 outward, as illustrated, the tongue 16 will be locked and supported as before; and at the same time the clamping grip of the leather between the parts 1st, 15

is not released.

I claim:

1. A button fastening comprising a base and means for permanent attachment of the base to material; a projection from the base, formed as a hook; another project-ion therefrom formed as a tongue flap, diverging from the first projection and adapted at its remote end to close the entrance to the hook exteriorly; and means secured to the base and movable thereon toward the remoter portions of the diverging parts to surround them and prevent the opening of the tongue closed entrance, and movable from said remoter portions toward the base to allow the tongue to open.

2. A button fastening comprising a base having a surface adapted to bear against the back side of material and having a shank adapted to project through an opening in the material to the face side thereof; a hook projecting from the shank adapted to en gage a button; a sleeve surrounding the shank and movable lengthwise thereof to obstruct the mouth of the hook when moved in one direction; said sleeve having a surface adapted to bear against the face side of the material thereby to grip the material between the base and the sleeve when the sleeve is moved in the other direction.

3. The combination of a base and means for attaching it permanently to material, said base having a flat face adapted to lie against the material parallel to the face of the material; a hook supported on the base and projecting therefrom in a direction perpendicular to said fiat surface; the hook having a mouth and a screw sleeve mounted on the base and projecting therefrom in the same direction as the hook and adapted to surround substantially the entire month of the hook when moved outward on said screw in the direction of the hook; the said sleeve where it is mounted on the base extending into a hole formed in the material to which the said. base is attached.

1. A button fastening comprising means to engage a button; a base supporting it; and means to fasten the base to material, combined with a movable sleeve adapted to maintain said engagement with the button when moved from the base: the fastening means comprising pins adapted to be driven through the base and material, the sleeve being adapted to bear close against the face of the material when moved toward said base and having there a surface adapted to stop and bend backward the points of said pins thereby clenching them in the material.

5. A button fastening comprising a base and means to fasten the base to material; a hook projecting therefrom adapted to engage a button; the hook having a four-told shank mounted in the base; two of said folds projecting from the shank and forming the hook, and one of them closing the hooks mouth.

6. A button fastening comprising a base and means to fasten the base to material; a hook projecting therefrom adapted to engage a button; the hook having a four-fold shank mounted in the base; two of said folds projecting from the shank and forming the hook, and one of them closing the hooks mouth; the remaining fold terminating in a lug engaging the button side of the base.

7. A button fastening comprising a base and means to fasten the base to material; a hook projecting therefrom adapted to engage a button; the hook having a four-fold shank; said four folds being bent at the base end to form an anchoring lug, and other ends of the four folds constituting a hook and means to close the mouth thereof.

Signed by me at- Boston, Massachusetts, this 19th day of November, 1909.

CLAUS J. ANDERSON.

Witnesses:

JOSEPH T. BRENNAN, Evnnnrr E. KENT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Yatents,

Washington, D. G. 

